After Dominican Hector Garcia succumbed to a stoppage loss to Gervonta Davis in a match where he arguably quit on his stool, Garcia is now set to defend his WBA Super Featherweight title after the WBA’s recent mandate for him to face his mandatory challenger in Lamont Roach who currently holds the #1 position in the WBA’s Super Featherweight rankings.
With Hector Garcia (16-1, 10 KO’s) having conquered his WBA Super Featherweight belt in August of 2022, he had been left with nine months to face a mandatory challenger, which will mean he will be forced to face a mandatory opponent by May 20th or face the possibility of having his world title relinquished. The WBA has also set a deadline from March 20th to April 19th for both teams to negotiate a fight. Upon the two teams not arriving on anything concrete, the mandated fight will be up for purse bids and open to be bid by any promoter.
Lamont Roach Jr.’s (23-1-1, 9 KO’s) last match was in July of last year where he ended the victor after a unanimous decision against Colombian veteran Angel Rodriguez (20-3, 10 KO’s). In Roach, Garcia faces a slick and technical American prospect that has learned from his single loss and draw to become a worthy contender at 130 lbs.
Having just recently lost in January to American superstar Gervonta “Tank” Davis (28-0, 26 KO’s), Hector Garcia is still on the suspension list by the District of Columbia Combat Sports Commission after reportedly having complained about being unable to see properly after the match. Though there has been no word on Garcia’s current condition, he faces a race against time to recover if he is still dealing with aforementioned problems, while also having to prepare himself for a title match by mid-to-late May.
If the ordered bout would take place, it would be a challenging yet rewarding match for Garcia who had been confident prior to his loss to Davis, and would have to prove himself worthy of being a world champion without taking an easier fight in the interim. With the threat that Lamont Roach poses, he will need to be at his very best to beat the American youngster who is eager to make his own name in the division, and in boxing.
